Jadin was a 15-year-old high-school sophomore from La Grande, Oregon, and like many other gay teens, he was bullied both online and in school. Friends remembered him as “an amazing young man” who loved cheerleading and volunteering at a home for senior citizens. Last March, we reported the hopeful news that a group of gay students in Minnesota had settled a lawsuit over their school’s policy that had prohibited teachers from providing help to students affected by bullying. The news of Jadin committing suicide last week reminds us just how painful bullying can be — and sadly, still is.

My father always told me, “Suicide is such a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” I believe that’s what the bullying problem is: temporary. But for now it exists. There’s more work to be done beyond legally recognizing gay marriage (thank you, Rhode Island). We have to make it better for everyone.

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About Legal As She Is Spoke

Legal As She Is Spoke is an online project of the Program in Law and Journalism at New York Law School. Our site reports on the state of legal journalism and encourages conversation about the accuracy and felicity of reporting on law. For an explanation of our name, click here.

The Guilty Prosecutor

Last year, LASIS reporter Halina Schiffman-Shilo wrote about her experiences with the UN from Arusha, Tanzania. She's back in the urban jungle now, and is examining human rights abuses here at home, by district attorneys against innocent defendants. Enter, the Guilty Prosecutor.